Westminster Bridge in London evacuated and sealed off

PUBLISHED Thu, May 25, 2017 - 1:33pm EDT

Credit: Andrew Logan

Westminster Bridge near the British parliament in London was briefly evacuated and sealed off as police investigated a suspicious vehicle, witnesses say. Parts of Parliament Square were also sealed off but it turned out to be a false alarm.

The incident began at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday when police and other emergency services were called to an unattended vehicle in the area of the Westminster Bridge, which crosses the River Thames and links Westminster and Lambeth.

Officers told people to leave and began taping off the bridge, witnesses said, but the all-clear was given just a short time later and the cordons were lifted. Nothing dangerous was found.

The incident came just days after a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Manchester Arena, killing 22 people and injuring more than 100 others. Westminster Bridge itself was the scene of an attack in March when a man drove into pedestrians before stabbing a police officer, killing 3 and injuring 29.

As a result of this week's attack, the United Kingdom has raised its terror threat level from "severe" to "critical."